Design of a group oriented, decentralised learning environment

The paper presents the design of a group oriented virtual learning setting where learning takes place in three levels: individual learning, group learning and inter-group communication processes. This communication takes place via standard internet services

Diffusion of e-learning as an innovation and economic aspects of e-learning support structures

Meanwhile, many universities and educational institutions have implemented an e-learning center or some similar, often smaller institutional units in order to support the usage of new media in teaching and learning processes [1]. This paper addresses questions around the installation of such e-learning support structures at different levels of an institution and also looks at the diffusion of e-learning as an innovation in educational institutions

Efficient eLearning course design and media production

AKUE is developed by the e-learning centre of the University of Frankfurt, studiumdigitale, and is a procedure to assure high quality levels of e-learning course design and digital media production. The name AKUE stands for the German words for analysis, concept, implementation and evaluation and describes the four phases of the process. Background of AKUE is the fact, that costs and benefits of e-learning courses are difficult to be quantified. Therefore so called procedure (or process) models are applied in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of e-learning courses. This paper presents the process and steps of AKUE and gives examples for its application

New format for online courses: the open course "Future of Learning"

Since 2007 the concept of open online courses came up leading to many discussions of this new format in blog posts and articles especially in the US and Canada. 2011, the first German open online course was started addressing the Future of Learning. The article discusses the concept of open online courses, the experiences with the first German course, and gives some perspectives on further developments which partly were implemented in a new course that was just started in 2012

Perspectives on the educational market: universities between virtual campus and education brokers

Nowadays information and communication technologies are affecting many aspects of our daily life. Sitting at our home computer we can order products, book flights, transfer money, buy and sell stocks and take online classes of educational institutions at the other end of the world. Maybe one day we will be able to pick any graduate business course at any institution that we like and combine credits of several online universities. Major changes are happening on the educational market. How will the educational market look like in 10 or 20 years? Which path will the traditional universities go from now on and where will they end? And: what are the factors that influence this shift? These are the questions which are addressed in this paper. Some of the analysis presented in this paper is based on papers published by the German Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Heinz Nixdorf Stiftung (Encarnacao/Leidhold/Reuter 2000) and on some English authors (i.e. Daniel 1998) and it summarizes some of their ideas

Design of a group oriented, virtual learning environment

This paper presents the design and implementation of a group oriented, decentralised, virtual learning settings where students meet in groups of 3 –5 people at different locations all over the world and communicate via the internet. After presenting the objective of such a didactical design the paper gives an insight into the technical implementation. It presents the advantages and disadvantages of several internet services in such a virtual setting and a way of combining these internet applications according to their special characteristics. While the role of teachers change to those of coordinators the communication process within and between the groups becomes more important – as discussed in the following chapter. The paper concludes with the presentation of two practical applications as offered by the Institute for Didactics and Economics at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main (Germany) and some evaluating remarks

Fit for eLearning? Trainings for eLearning competencies

In: conference proceedings, edulearn 2010, Barcelona 5.-7.7.2010. In order to design and tutor online and blended learning courses, trainers and teachers need to obtain appropriate qualification. In this paper different competency models for online teaching which developed in Germany 2005 – 2008 will be addressed as well as different settings to qualify teachers and trainers appropriately. Finally the results of an evaluation of two different training settings will be presented in order to compare an in house versus a transorganisational training program

How to go online: considerations of designing an online course - technical options, didactical methods and the students

This paper addresses the task of designing an online course. Which considerations have to be made? Many factors have to be regarded: technical options, the didactical design, the institution, the subject of the courses and the students. This task becomes even more difficult when we get aware that these factors are very much independent and that the decision in one field cannot be made without considering the others aspects. The didactical design of an online course has to be implemented based on technical option in order to shape and support the teaching and learning process. Different internet media can be uses such as web pages, email, discussion boards and chats as well as specialized software packages. These media types are characterized by certain functionalities which are appropriate for certain learning methods. What are the factors which influence this choice? Besides the aspect of synchronization the technical equipment at the learners' place and their media competence is essential. Additionally CD ROMs can be used as a media for data transmission as well as a supportive function for the learning process. The didactical design of a CD ROM can support different learning methods and provide additional learning material which can be used according to the students' demands. In this paper some examples are given as how to implement different didactical elements with different technical features. The learning process does not have to take place on the level of the individual learner but should integrate social interaction in different social forms. learning can take place on different levels such the individual learner, small groups, and plenary settings. But:: group learning processes have to be properly planned and pre-structured in the didactical design of online courses and need sufficient technical support in order to work properly

Wikis in elearning and student projects

The paper presents a study which was based on the hypothesis that wikis that are initiated bottom up by students might be used more deliberately than wikis which are introduced top down by teachers. Therefore it examines the specific effects observed in nine different wiki projects at the university of Frankfurt ranging from student wiki projects up to wikis used in seminars and as information tool for institutions

Gruppenbasiertes vernetztes Lernen im Internet: Design einer virtuellen Hochschulveranstaltung

Lernen in virtuellen Veranstaltungen im Internet muß keine einsame Sache sein: gruppenbasierte Veranstaltungskonzepte ermöglichen dezentral verteilte Teilnehmer im Netz zusammenzuführen und gleichzeitig vor Ort Lernprozesse in Gruppen stattfinden zu lassen. Neben der didaktischen Gestaltung eines solches Konzeptes steht der optimale Einsatz eines internetbasierten Medienmix im Mittelpunkt dieses Beitrags. Dieses virtuelle Konzept wird weniger zur Umsetzung von eher vortragsorientierten Hochschulveranstaltungen wie Vorlesungen genutzt, sondern vielmehr um das eigenständige Erarbeiten von Lerninhalten durch die Studierenden zu fördern und didaktische Methoden des problemorientierten, projektorientierten und forschenden Lernens zu integrieren. Übungen, Tutorien, Kolloquien und Seminare können über räumliche Grenzen hinweg mit Teilnehmern an verschiedenen Standorten und damit wohnorts-, universitäts- und länderübergreifend durchgeführt werden